First of all, TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FOUND! My truck has been compleeeetely immobilized since January and I fiiiinally figured out what the problem is! I dropped my C6, tore the whole thing down, noticed soemthing in the forward clutch looked out of place, and as I took things apart, saw that the Belleville spring, the metal ring with the 8 inner facing lobes that puts pressure on the forward clutchpack from the bottom was shattered into 8 pieces! And the ring that sits under it, in the round track on the piston that it pushes against, had managed to get above it somehow. I can't believe that the transmission didn't just blow up with the mess that I had in there, but thank god it didn't, and now that I know the problem, I just need the fix!
So, does anyone know where I can find a new Belleville spring? I have a spare C6 with one that's probably intact, and could easily get one from a junkyard, but since it's a part that's already broken once and I want to be able to hit this tranny hard, I'd like to throw a new one in. I also may need to replace the forward clutch piston that the Belleville spring pushes against. If anybody knows where I can buy any individual C6 part, let me know!
Thanks, AleX

 

Have you tried wittrans.com?

 

I never run that spring in any C6 I build. I always add a extra clutch and get the clearance set right.

 

Mark A., really? I'd like to hear more about that. The clutchpack doesn't need the flex
that that spring provides? What rides against the back of the piston if not the Belleville?
Do you replace the lowest pressure plate (the one with the slanted bottom) with a flat one? And how do you deal with the channel for the big outer snap ring that holds the Belleville in place normally (I would think a friction or a steal could slip into that area and get caught)?
If you could give me a detailed description of how to do it, I'd love to be able to eliminate that spring.
Thanks, AleX

 

And just looked on Wittrans, they have it! So I'm set either way, but I'd still prefer to eliminate it all together.

 

It just dampens the application, if you eliminate it you will have a bit harsher of shifts, especially if you take out the accumulators as well. In the last C6 I built, I used Red Eagle clutches and eliminated the belleville spring- It shifted harshly, but never even hinted at burning the fluid even towing at high speed on the highway all the way from the east coast to the west coast.

 

OK, I'm much more worried about when I'm going to have to drop my transmission again to replace my next spring than about some rough shifts, so I'm going to get rid of the spring. Still not sure exactly how I'd do that though, Ford_Six, can you give me any more specifics? (See my questions to Mark a. above)
Thanks, AleX

 

You are talking about the piston return spring, you cannot leave this out, it wont work.

They are referring to the cushion wave plate, you can leave this out and make up the clearance with a extra clutch. Your trans may not even have one in the first place.

I have seen those return spring break apart like that a few times, if I were you I would take the one out of your spare trans and wouldn't worry about it at all, they break but that often.

 

O wow you're completely right, we were talking about different things. My trans doesn't have the wave plate, although I do know what they are, but that makes alot more sense, I couldn't figure out how I could possibly eliminate that spring and still have everything work right.
Thanks for saving me, I'm ordering parts this afternoon. I may use my spare return spring, but the piston was damaged too, so I may just buy new parts, although I guess I have a spare piston too....
I'll figure it all out, but thanks for the help, I wouldn't have had any idea what I'd done wrong.
AleX

 

One more thing, make sure the inner oring for that piston is still soft and flexible, over time the become hard and brittle.

 

OK, I'm rebuilding the whole thing, so all new seals and all that anyway, but I'll give it a special check.
Just pulled apart that other C6 though, and the return spring, steel ring under it, and piston were all intact! I have the thicker version return spring in the second C6 too! (have heard they came in 2 thicknesses, and the one that broke in my trans was the thinner version)
Thanks for all the help again, this thread will really save somebody else someday too (maybe me), AleX.